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About this time last year, I encouraged us all to buy a goldfish. No really, you can read about it here. The wee piscine beauty was to be a daily reminder to pray for Persians. I need to let you know my sweet little fishy is no more. I got up one recent morning to find he’d jumped out of his bowl to perish alone on the countertop. Thankfully, the living God is hearing our prayers and great numbers of  Persians are finding life in Jesus. Please continue to pray for them as Iran weathers challenging Covid 19 days.

Last week I encouraged you to help your kids, or ones you know, find a pen pal from a Muslim nation. My ten-year-old daughter has since been corresponding with a young woman in Istanbul! In contrast to the multi-week intervals with my British pen-pal when I was her age, they write back and forth daily. I’m not letting on with her, but I’m pretty jazzed about this.

If the thought crossed your mind that you’d like a pen pal from a Muslim nation, let me just say, “I love your mind!” Also, check this out: A highly qualified friend is offering a free one-hour training next week for just that! I signed up for Monday, 9 am central time. I’d love for you to do the training with me. If you register for that same slot, let me know. We’ll chat during the training!

When the training is over, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with Muslims who are looking for English speakers to chat with.

Finally, I came across this drool-worthy page of Moroccan snacks while doing research for an article on helping kids love the world during lockdown. I’m going to start with the Orange Salad and the Harsha!

Two things that are true about me: I don’t mind a lively debate from time to time and I’m usually ok with things being a little gray.

As a result, I enjoy chatting about the role women can, should, and do play in ministry. What Paul meant when he said what he did about this. And how we’re to deal with it today. In fact, I’d find it fun to kick this around with you. . .in a socially distanced way, of course!

I was surprised (embarrassingly) to discover that Muslims also wrestle with “women in ministry” issues.

Well, some of them do. Others, less so. Hui Muslims in central China began to establish Islamic schools and mosques for women as early as the 17th century. These continued through the Communist crackdown on religion in the 1950s.

Female Hui imams have served as inspiration for some of the women-led mosques emerging in our day. The daughter of a Syrian father and a Finnish mom, Sherin Khankan helped open the first female-led mosque in Denmark in 2016. Though she faced resistance to her plan to become an imam and open a mosque, she contends there is, “no valid religious criticism of us – we are on safe theological ground.”

The Quran, it seems, doesn’t talk directly about this issue. But a hadith (collections of sayings of Muhammad) recounts Muhammad asking a woman to lead prayers for her “house.” The debate is whether that only means the women in her house, the women in her village or anyone who heard the call to prayer.

The sunnah (the written traditional customs and practices) indicates against women leading mixed-gender congregations since there are no examples of this happening.

Finally, the ijma or the consensus of Islamic scholars’ opinions is pretty much, “No can do, buckaroo!” Imagine a bunch of old men agreeing women can’t share their power.

I suspect we’ll see more women in Islamic clerical leadership in days to come, along with strong resistance in some areas. Sound familiar? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

By now you’re inundated with Corona Virus/Covid 19 news. Can I add a super short reminder and float out one idea?

As God gives you grace, let’s resist fear and panic. We are people of Jesus. We don’t want to die any more than anyone else, but our deal with God says death is a transition to something better. I appreciate the relevance to our current situation of C.S. Lewis’s very British, very stoic thoughts on the fear of atomic weapons.

Further, we don’t just resist fear and panic, we engage with bold love and risky compassion. Download my friend Marc Van Der Woude’s mini e-book on how the Church has responded to similar situations in the past.

Specifically, I’d like to ask you to pray and think about this: Universities are closing around the U.S. (Perhaps in your country, too.) In many cases, residence halls are closing as well. While I assume great effort will be extended to provide housing for those who can’t simply “go home,” I wonder if this may be an opportunity for us to step up.

Prayerfully consider reaching out to your nearest university to ask if volunteer housing in the community might be needed for international students. I just asked my local school. It took me about five clicks to find the (presumably) right people to email. (Tweet this.)

Grace, peace, purpose and health to you.

It’s Narnia here in Southern Colorado. While we wait for the calendar, and Aslan, to bring spring, my thoughts range beyond the snow to the summer sure to come. A friend wrote recently about an idea I’m eager to try, once the melt arrives.

A cross-cultural superhero, Jon, explains, “One of my passions is backpacking, rafting, anything outdoors really.”

[Does that have anything to do with connecting with Muslims? Turns out it does!]

Many of the international students Jon works with are young men from North Africa and the Middle East. Before oil was discovered in their countries, their families lived a very simple, often rural, lifestyle. Backpacking may not be part of their culture, but they know the lure of the wilderness, where they can set up tents and get away from it all.

“And for the guys, they like adventure. They all come wanting to explore this country and end up sitting in class most of the time. Most. . .are bored!” The hiking and camping trips Jon organizes for international students give them something exciting to do.

These trips also provide handles for volunteers who want to get their feet wet in international student ministry. They have the chance to make new friends. Some end up bonding with the students on the long road trips, forming relationships that develop further from there.

Getting away from homework, routine, and the business of daily life also encourages greater reflection and fosters deeper connections. “Something amazing happens around the campfire,” says Jon. “Almost always the conversations turn to faith.”

Want to join me in multiplying this idea? I just emailed some nearby friends who engage with international students. This summer, come to Colorado and join us in the great outdoors! Or organize your own day hike or camping trip. Give me a shout if you need help finding a connecting point with international students.

So, it’s pretty much a given the U.S. will choose a president in a few months. Although the Facebook post claiming, “In 20 years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S. to elect the president” is patently false, Muslims may make a difference this fall.

I’ve been wondering lately how Muslims tend to vote, for whom and why.

Why does this matter? I suspect most Muslim Connect readers tend to vote conservatively. Since data indicates that most voting Muslims tend blue, there’s a big difference here. If we’re going to connect, we might as well get stuff like this on the table and talk about it.

In a funny and poignant New York Times opinion piece, Wajahat Ali quotes Hussein Rashid, a professor of religion at Barnard College, who concedes that he’s a tad bitter about his political options, “As a Muslim, I’d vote for Jesus, but the Republicans won’t let him in, and the Democrats don’t believe in him.”

My reading today indicates that Muslims are skeptical of Democratic advances and don’t feel sought out or heard, but, according to Haroon Moghul, the other alternative is to “vote themselves off the island!”

It seems there are a few Muslim Republicans, but a strong majority of Muslims will vote Democratic this Fall. And apparently Bernie Sanders is the leading candidate of choice for Muslims right now. Check out #Muslims4Bernie and #InshallahBernie. I don’t pretend to fully understand why he’s the favorite, but he’s seen as the one who’s done more to hear, validate, support and defend Muslims.

I’m curious how Muslims integrate fairly conservative views on marriage and homosexuality with Bernie’s liberal views and agenda.

According to the Economist, “In 2001, a survey of American Muslims found that 42% reported voting for Mr. Bush against 31% for his Democratic rival Al Gore.” So much has changed since then.

Got thoughts on this? Please share them below.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

I live in a pretty remote part of the US. It’s only 45 minutes to Walmart, so I’m ok, but there aren’t many people around here. This low density works in our favor when it comes to the coronavirus. You can’t catch it if the sick people are far away! And people around here grouse about traveling to Denver, let alone China!

While grateful for the low risk, I’m concerned for those without my advantages, particularly Uyghurs in western China. I recently asked you to pray for the million or so Uyghurs imprisoned in concentration camps.

Survivor reports detail gruesome conditions. As I write only a couple dozen cases have been reported in Xinjiang, the home state of Uyghurs, but we can imagine how quickly an outbreak might spread through a crowded, unsanitary camp. The death toll could be horrendous.

Will you join me in prayer again for Uyghurs? Here’s the picture in my mind: Remember in Exodus when Moses would call down a plague on Egypt, frogs, for instance, none hopped into Goshen where the Jews lived. It was like God locked down an anti-frog, fly, hail, angel of death dome over them. I want that for Uyghurs, particularly those who are unjustly incarcerated. And, while we’re at it, for their kids currently living with relatives or shipped off to orphanages. (Tweet this.)

(To be clear, this parallel is one-sided. The coronavirus is not a plague from God on China. I just want the protection dome!)

Two small things to add to your prayer:
Watch this video on the unfolding situation for Uyghurs relative to the coronavirus. I believe it’s made by Uyghurs, so the passion runs high.

Please share this with friends who might pray with us. May God rally thousands to seek his protection for these dear people at great risk who don’t know how much they’re loved. Thank you.